Snapshot
by DocFaustus
Summary: Ariadne has been taken to the BPRD by her father. she has some interesting qualities that would make her valuable to the team, but she has to get over her differences with Hellboy and the rest of the team. and with a few newcomers as well. please read MUCH better than this crap summary. Wont be posting often until i get my other story Green Fire done
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, to all my readers. Even though I don't have that many. **** But anyway, I would like to dedicate my second Hellboy story to my brother. Even though he is almost 19, but has the mentality of a 9 year old, he's still my brother and I love him. Good luck in Afghanistan bro! **

_**DISCLAIMER!: my name does not contain Mike, nor Mignola, so I don't own Hellboy or any of the characters in the movies or comics. I do own my OC Ariadne. Which is like Air-ee-ad-nee. Ok, here we go! BTW this first little section from the first 000 to the next 000 is in Nuada's POV. **_

000

It was cold. So very cold, and I was stiff. I could not move at all; it was like my body was encased in stone. Perhaps it was. I had spent so long this way. Cold and stiff and unmoving and it was so very dark. But then, she came. And I was finally warm, for the first time since I died. And it was bright and it felt wonderful. I took a deep breath, the first deep breath I had taken in a while. She helped to my feet and kissed my forehead.

"I'm giving you a second chance. This is rare and precious, so please do not waste it. You have so much to do, so much you could have done. Use this time well, and open your mind. You are a prince, and you should be open to much more than you are." She looked me in the eyes. It seemed that she was there, yet at the same time, she wasn't. I blinked at her. The stiffness in my body seemed to recede somewhat.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I felt her grasp my hands in hers, and she kissed both of my cheeks. And then I was falling.

000

I stared up at the dove grey sky and smiled. I always loved the way the night sky looked during winter. I wished I had my camera with me, instead of it being packed away in my luggage in the trunk. We were far away from the city, so the light pollution hadn't corrupted the sight. I looked over to my left at my step dad. He had called me four months ago on my nineteenth birthday that he was going to be taking me to work. To_ his_ work, and that meant taking me to the BPRD. See, my dad, Tom Manning, was the director of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. I sighed and turned back to my window.

It was one thirty five in the morning, but I wasn't tired. I was excited and nervous at the prospect of working at the BPRD. I knew my dad had ulterior motive for bringing me; he made no attempt to hide it. I had heard multiple stories of Hellboy and Liz and other agents. The stupid antics they pulled and things they had done. I even heard of how Hellboy, Liz, Abe and someone called Johann had quit for a few months before coming back. Leaning my head against the glass, I stared up at the sky and let my worries dissipate with the gentle vibrations of the moving car and watched as the world flashed past.

I let my eyes grow heavy, and my eyelids drooped. The radio was playing softly, and it was warm and dark in the car. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep, using the window pane of my dad's car as a pillow.

000

It seemed like I was only sleeping for a few moments until I was being shaken awake. When I blinked open my eyes, the sky was still grey and the clock read two thirty. I had only slept for an hour. I forced myself to wake up and go out into the cold winter air. I wouldn't be cold; I had long sleeves and elbow length gloves, but it was still unpleasant. I could see a stocky grey building about half a mile ahead of me. We had arrived. Strands of hair stuck to my face and were in my mouth. I wiped them out and rubbed my eyes; they were itchy and it was still dark out. Thinking about the darkness reminded me about my camera, and the picture I had wanted.

Dashing around to the back of the car, where my dad was already unloading luggage so he could get his key card for the gate. I grabbed my suitcase and unzipped the front pocket. I grabbed my Nikon D3200 Digital SLR Camera. It was an expensive photography camera my mom had given to me for my thirteenth birthday. My first camera was given to me when I was six, and I had been in love with photography ever since.

I raised the camera to my eye and found the perfect angle for the picture. I liked how the darker grey building looked compared to the dove sky. I also didn't want the picture to be a gray slab with a few lights in the distance. Clicking the button, I captured the image and, satisfied with the result, placed the strap around my neck. Humming contentedly, I waited for my dad to finish the security check in, and when he was done, we got back into the car and drove through the gates. It took a moment to reach the building, but when we got there, my dad parked the car. We unloaded our luggage and pulled it into the squat dull compound. Mine was heavy, as my other hobby was mineral collecting. I loved them both equally. There was a strange insignia in the middle of the long hallway. My father led me over to it, and we stood there.

"Why aren't we going anywhere?" I asked.

"We're waiting to enter the main building." He replied. I looked at him quizzically.

"But we just did tha-!" I was cut off as the ground underneath me began moving down like a large elevator. I squeezed my eyes shut since I didn't like heights. We continued down until I heard a hiss and click. I cracked an eye open and looked around. We were in a huge lobby like room, with marble floors. Hallways darted off in every direction, and people in black suits rushed around, paying no heed to the nineteen year old girl with green and blue streaked brown hair and her sharply dressed father.

"_Now_ we're in the building." My dad said to me. We stepped off the platform and onto the marble floor. I followed my dad down one of the many hallways, dragging my luggage behind me. Finally, he stopped me in front of an ornate wooden door. "The team you will be working with usually spends time here. I assume that they're probably inside there right now. I'll send someone to take your things and escort you to your room after you've been acquainted." My dad told me, and then turned around and left me standing in front of the beautifully carved door.

Was I just supposed to push it open? Stroll in and introduce myself? Sighing resignedly, I slung my duffel bag over my shoulders, and set my suitcase down. Pushing open the door, opening it just wide enough for me to slip in, I picked my suitcase back up and headed in. the room was large and nicely lit. A large tank of water that looked big enough to fit a full grown elephant filled one side of the room, and bookshelves filled everything else. I crept slowly into the room and descended the steps, the wheels on my suitcase squeaking. Setting my duffel bag on the ground, I stood in the middle of the room awkwardly. I didn't know why I was so nervous; no one was here in the room with me. I assumed it was _because_ I was alone. I wanted questions answered, but no one was here to answer them. Really, what would this team of people, who had saved earth more than once, think of a 167 pound nineteen year girl with green and blue hair? I was only five ten as well, definitely not threatening. Sure I was pretty, but I doubt that would help me gain any social status with these people.

I almost jumped out of my skin when the door behind me crashed open. I whirled around, eyes wide. My breath hitched as I beheld the towering man before me. He was probably a good foot taller than me, making him near seven feet. His yellow eyes glared out at everything, and had a cigar clamped in his mouth. But neither his height nor his oddly colored eyes were what bothered me. His skin was a startling crimson red, and the blood on his skin and clothes didn't help the look. He had the blackest hair I had ever seen, and I could see two darker red cylinders, that I assumed were shaved horns. His right hand also seemed to be incased in stone, and I thought I could see a tail swishing behind him.

He had a long trench coat, and black leather pants and boots, along with a ripped up black t-shirt. I could see a gun strapped to his belt. "Um, hello." I finally managed to choke out. Even though he was looking right at me, seemed not to notice me until I spoke up.

"Who the hell are kid?" he asked in a deep baritone. He looked frustrated and angry, and obviously not in good mood. I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn't get any sound out.

"Hey kid, I asked you a question. Who are you?" he said again, stepping closer to me. I instinctively took one back away from him.

"I'm the new girl." I said in rush. I didn't get the feeling that this man liked me very much. He rubbed his face with his non rock hand. Pulling the cigar out of his mouth, he motioned with one hand for me to follow.

"I'm supposed to get you and bring you to meet the rest of the team. I don't know why they sent me; I hate new people."

Yep. Suspicion confirmed, he didn't like me. I started to take my bags with me, but he shook his head. "Leave 'em. Some lackey or another will get 'em later." He turned around and started walking. I dropped my bags and hurried after him. In the hall, people made sure to stay out of his way. He led me into the main room, and then past that into another hallway. Not once did he turn to look over his shoulder and see if was still following. We finally stopped in front of a silver door, and he pushed it open. Inside, I could see five other people, one of which was lying on the metal table in the center of the room, and another was sitting on a chair in the corner with their head down. They were all speaking quietly, and they kept referring to notes in their hands.

The first think that caught my eye was that one of the men in the room was blue and looked like a fish. Another person (if you could call it that) was in some kind of diving suit and the helmet had smoke swirling around inside. The third; a woman with black hair was heavily pregnant, and she looked exhausted. I couldn't tell much about the person in the corner. But the man on the table was what drew most of my attention. He was probably the handsomest man I had ever seen in my life, with skin pale as snow, and slightly golden hair, which was darker gold at the ends. He was toned and muscular, more so than any of the football players at my old high school. He had a bandage around his chest, which was stained with a golden ichor. He had a square jaw, and handsome features. There was a scar running from one cheek, across his nose and onto his other cheek.

I blushed self-consciously when someone coughed awkwardly into their fist. I had been caught staring. "So before we get down to business, we should start with introductions." The pregnant woman said. "I'm Liz Sherman, this is Hellboy, or Red, that's Abe and Johann." She pointed to each person as she named them. I nodded slowly. "And then, there's these two." She waved a hand at the two pale people in the room, the only ones that had not been named. Suddenly, the person in the corner stood up. Their hair parted to reveal a face almost identical to the man's on the table. Even right down to the scars on her face.

"I am Princess Nuala, and this is my brother, Nuada." Her eyes were strikingly golden. I wondered if her brothers were the same shade. The blue man hurried around the table to steady her when he trembled. Sitting back down in her chair, she clenched her chest, where I could see a similar ichor stain on her dress, like the one on her brother.

"Um, my names Ariadne. Like, the maze girl in the Greek myths. But, just call me Ari." I said awkwardly, rubbing my arm. "So, uh, why do you need me here? I'm just the new girl." I said, tugging on the sleeve of my shirt.

"We didn't want you to be standing in that room all alone for who knows how long," the blue man, Abe, said. "Nobody knew how long this business would take, so we decided to bring you in." I nodded shyly and they went back to talking in hushed tones. I pressed myself to the wall and played with my gloves while they talked. This wasn't a social situation, but I didn't do well with being in a room with people id didn't know. I was a total wallflower. While I stood against the wall, while I was feeling very awkward, it gave me time to think about my place.

Although my dad had never said it outright, I knew his motive for bringing me here. I didn't know the whole truth, but most of it was pretty obvious. It was not for my protection, I knew that much. The part I didn't know was probably because he couldn't stand the thought of me being abroad in the world, not because he actually had any paternal feelings towards me, he was only my step father, but because I was telekinetic and telepathic. The telekinesis I had down very well. I considered myself an expert, but I had never heard of anyone with my powers before, so what did I know? The telepathy however, was my biggest problem.

I could project my thoughts and read others minds if I tried, but if I had any skin to skin contact, my mind would be overloaded with their memories, thoughts and feelings. I would know every thought they had ever had; it would be like living their life in the space of a few moments. It was extremely invasive and horrible. As long as their skin touched mine, I would receive memories. I had only ever had it happen to me once, and I had dreams of their most horrible and painful memories for week afterwards. The painful ones always seem to transfer better. That's why I wore long sleeves and long gloves at all times. I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head on the wall. I was bored and I knew it, but it wasn't like I could just get up and leave; I didn't even know where my own room was. I opened my eyes again and lifted the camera off my chest. I might as well look at my pictures.

I gently pressed the on button and watched as the screen blinked to life. I went to my gallery, and selected the first picture on the screen. It was my most recent one, so I flicked down to my oldest picture and started from there. Tucking my head against my chest, I pursed my lips and began viewing my inventory. Most were of things in nature, like sunsets and rises, stars and forests in the daytime. A few were of my friends making weird faces at the camera and playing around with it. I found my favorite one, which was a clear, shallow river that stretched out into the distance. The sun streamed in from the canopy of trees on both sides, striking the water and making it sparkle. I grinned at the next one. It was of my best friend Allin. He was wearing a light blue hoodie and had fairy wings strapped to his back. His blonde hair was chalked in all colors of the rainbow and he was wearing a pair of tinted shades. There was a thunder cloud sewn to the side of the hoodie, and the lightning bolt coming out was a rainbow. He was holding a peace sign out and he had a cocky smirk.

I had really dressed up my best friend as a My Little Pony, aka Rainbowdash. He had willingly agreed, so I had taken any chance I could. I felt something wet on my face, and I quickly wiped the tear away. I turned off my camera and let it fall back onto my chest. I flicked my eyes up without moving my head and saw Abe staring at me. I narrowed my eyes and decided to try a little experiment. I concentrated on his face and reached out with my mind. With I narrowed my eyes and decided to try a little experiment. I concentrated on his face and reached out with my mind. With my head tucked down and my arms folded, I looked almost like I was sleeping, but I was scoping out the room with my mind.

I pushed hard with my mind, and was startled when I felt two other consciousness's in the room open, and aware of my presence. I withdrew slightly, but then pushed hard in a quick jab that startled them. Instantly, I gathered that both Nuala and Abe were the ones aware, and they were both telepathic. I hurriedly started to withdraw when Abe's voice stopped me. _Stop. It is fine. I figured you would do something like this, so I left my mind open. I could sense the telepathic power in you. Tell me, what other powers do you possess?_ I grimaced, disliking the feeling of someone speaking in my head.

_I'm telekinetic as well. But I don't use my abilities as much as I would like. _I replied.

_Why not?_ He asked.

_It was discouraged. Every time I told someone about my powers, I would be treated as a freak, and be dropped by friends. I finally decided to just forget about them and ignore it. _

_You were not discouraged, you discouraged yourself. _

_So what if I did? What point was it if I just lost people I cared about? _I shot back. He had no answer, so I pulled back. We stayed that way for a while, with them talking and referring to notes, and me standing against the wall with a sour expression on my face, a curtain of colored hair covering half my face. But after a while, after the monotony of the situation set in, then it just _had_ to change. For the worse, I might add. There was a loud crash and a few shouts and I snapped my head up. The man on the table, who had been lying so still before, was now standing on the ground, surrounded by everyone in the room.

Without apparent effort, he dodged all attempts to grab him, and started getting closer to me. I couldn't fight him, and he knew it. He also knew I was his ticket out, if he were to take me hostage. Grabbing my shoulder, he spun me around, and locked an arm around my neck. The threat was obvious. _Get any closer to me and I'll break her neck. _I didn't really care about that; but what I did care about was that his bare forearm was touching the skin on my throat. It wasn't much skin touching me, but it was enough. A few memories flickered through my head. The feeling of cold river water on my skin. A sharp ache in my side, like I had been slashed with a knife. I searing pain on my arm, like I had white hot iron wrapped around it.

I choked and jerked my arm up, but my movements only made the collar of my shirt to slip down farther, and his skin to touch me more. The thoughts and feelings going through me were stronger now; I was frozen with terror one minute, and filed with pain the next. "Let g-go of m-me! It h-hurts, it hurts so much!" I moaned. I received an odd look from Hellboy, but I really didn't give a crap about what he thought now. I lifted a hand up and tried to claw at his arm as a particularly painful memory flicked in my mind. "S-stop touching me! Let me go!" His whole life was like a movie, only that movie was on repeat. I screamed and dropped to my knees. He followed me to the ground.

I felt him release his grip on me, but it was too late. I shuddered and gasped. I tried to stand, but ended up falling forwards onto my hands. "Help me." I gasped. My arms trembled, and I tried to reach up and grasp the edge of the metal table in front of me. I missed and was left groping at empty air. "Help me!" I said, a bit louder this time. I felt a hand grab my wrist and someone helped me up. I also felt that someone take off my glove and touch my wrist, as if to look for a pulse. "NO!" I screamed. "Don't touch me, please, it hurts me!" a memory not my own flashed in my head before it disappeared. My head rolled to the left, and I saw the concerned face of the pregnant woman looking down at me before my breath hitched and I closed my eyes.

**000**

**Well, im done with the first chapter. Hope you liked it! Please review, you'll make my day. I'll try to get this updated as fast as I can, but I might take a while cause I might be working on my other story Green Fire. Been posted for a few weeks and still not a chapter 2…. Well anyway, R AND R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello and welcome to the second chapter of Snapshot! I hope you all liked it. It only took me a few days to get this done, and yet its taking me weeks to get the second chapter of Green Fire done. Hm. Well anyways, I hope you review! **

**DISCLAIMER! I don't own anything but my OC Ariadne and the idea of the story…. If that makes sense. NE way, R AND R! please! So many exclamation points….**

**000**

When I woke up, it didn't look like it was much later than when I had passed out. I cracked an eye open and looked around the room. I was still wearing my clothes from earlier, and I grimaced. It was dirty, and probably stained. I was alone, so I sat up. I was in a grey room, with a window to my right. There were two doors on the left, and one on the right. The bed I was sitting in was comfortable and warm, but I forced myself out. There was a nightstand on one side of the bed, and a dresser on the other. There was a note on the nightstand, so I picked it up curiously.

_Ari,_

_I hope you are well; you gave us quite a scare. This room is yours, so decorate it as you wish. Someone will be by to get you up and take you to the Library where you had been. We will be waiting for you in there. _

_ Abe. _

I put the note down on my lap and looked around the rest of the room. There was a desk and chair in one corner, and shelves on one wall, but other than that, it was unfurnished. My bags were next to the dresser, and my camera sat on the nightstand to my right_. This must be my room_, I thought. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and tried to stand up.

I braced myself against the wall, fighting the wave of nausea that rolled over me. I slowly made my way over to my suitcases on the wall. I grabbed the handle of the closest one and dragged it over to my bed. This was the heavy one, so I knew what was in it. I unzipped the top pocket and pulled away the layer of packing paper on top. A wooden case with a glass lid was uncovered. I lifted it up gently, muscles straining to lift the heavy case. I set it on top of my bed and unlocked the lid. I pulled the bubble wrap away and stared down at my collection.

I had iron ore and rose quartz; feldspar and thorite. Each rock had its own little compartment and a label. I picked up a chunk of obsidian and bounced it in my palm. It had one sharp edge and I had cut myself more than once with it. Gingerly setting it down in its spot, I stroked a piece of mica. It was a soft flaky kind of stone, so I didn't pick it up. I sighed and locked the case again. I picked it up and went over to the shelves on the wall. Setting the case on one of the middle shelves, I turned back around to get my other cases. I was already getting my strength back, and I felt better already.

After that was over, I set the empty suitcase in the closet, which I discovered was the closet door to my bed on the left. Then I opened my duffel bag and started stuffing clothes in my dresser. I put aside a long sleeved red shirt with a U-neck, a pair of black elbow gloves, and a pair of skinny jeans with knee high suede flat soled lace-up boots. I also had a sleeveless black cotton hoodie. Picking up the pile of clothes, I set them on my bed and began to strip. I set my dirty clothes on the ground by my dresser and pulled on the fresh shirt. I looked at the soft grey gloves on the ground, wondering if they would go with my outfit, then shook off the idea. I dressed quickly, and pulled my hair into a messy ponytail.

I sat on my bed and laced the up my boots. I wondered how I looked; I figured I was probably a mess, with smeared make up and tangled hair. I pulled out my phone and checked my reflection. I had two tracks of smeared mascara on my cheeks, and the eye shadow on my right eye was smudged and made me look like I had a black eye. I wiped it off, and then grabbed my backpack. I flung the art pads and pencils out, along with my laptop. I tossed that on my bed, and then pulled out my dark green make up bag.

I set the bag on my dresser and pulled out the tiny mirror. I quickly applied the eyeliner and my smoky grey eye shadow. I applied a quick coat of mascara, and was in the process of getting my blush on when the door to my room opened. A man stuck his head through the door and looked around. He had brown eyes and light brown hair. He was cute in a boyish sort of way. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked, and I shook my head. "Oh good. Sorry I didn't knock; I assumed you would still be asleep. I'm supposed to take you to meet the team."

"Ok. Just let me finish first and then we can go." I said with a smile. I swept the brush across my cheeks, and then shut the lid of my case shut with a snap. I walked towards his and slipped out the door. The man standing in front of me was about two inches taller than me, with mousy brown hair and pale skin. He had stubble on his chin and soft brown eyes. I smiled shyly and held out my hand. He grasped it softly and shook it.

"I'm John Meyers. I'm supposed to get you to the library in one piece." He said cheerfully. I gestured with my free hand.

"By all means, lead the way." I said. He nodded and let go of my hand. I followed him through the halls, winding around people and objects, trying to avoid being trampled. At one point, I lost view of him completely, and then he seemed to appear by my side.

"Confusing I know. I had to get used to it all over again. Don't worry; you'll get the hang of it." I asked him where he had just gotten back from. "Alaska. Not the best months of my life, but you do what you have to get paid." I grinned. And he smiled back at me. "How old are you? You look really young to be here." He said.

"I've been nineteen for four months. So, yeah, still pretty young."

Our conversation ended abruptly as we stopped before the large wooden door. He smiled at me once more, then turned around and slipped off, probably off to do another errand. I gulped and placed my gloved hand against the door. Hesitantly I pushed against the carved surface of the door. I slipped inside, and shut the door quietly. When I turned around, I could see everyone from yesterday in the room except the man who had taken me hostage, looking at me. I blushed self-consciously. "Um, hello again. Nice to see you all." I said as I walked down the steps and onto the rug at the bottom. I didn't really pay attention to the form of Nuala in the back, looking at the shelves upon shelves of books. I tugged at the hem of my shirt and looked down at my shoes.

They were all quiet for a moment before a rough voice said, "I think you better explain what happened yesterday." Yesterday? I thought I had only been asleep for a few hours! I looked back up. Right into the eyes of Hellboy, who was the one who had spoken.

"When people touch me, skin to skin I mean, all their memories and thoughts and feelings get transferred into my mind, it is part of my telepathic power. After their skin stops touching mine, I forget the memories; the pain fades and I get my own mind back. It takes tremendous concentration to speak when my mind is filled with other people's memories. Hard to talk when you don't know how." I could see the thoughtful look that crossed everyone's faces.

"Tell them the rest." Abe urged. Their faces reverted to curiosity and they looked back to me. I shot Abe a murderous look.

"I'm telekinetic as well." I said reluctantly. I could see the shock on their faces. (Minus the guy made out of smoke. Johann I think.) "But I have limitations. I can't do everything."

"What are your limits?" Johann asked in a half robotic half German accent.

"Well," I began. "I can only lift freestanding objects." At the look of confusion on their faces I explained, "I can't just focus on the ground and will a chunk of rock to separate itself from the rest; it has to be loose or not attached at all. Also, I can't take parts of a whole. Its baisically the same principle of the freestanding objects. Unless I can actually move the whole, I can't move the part.

"Say I focused on your arm." I pointed to Hellboy's arm. "I could _move_ it, but not where I want to. I would have to move him as well." I extended my hand to him and narrowed my eyes. His stone arm jerked up, and he jumped. Extending my consciousness to his whole body, I concentrated harder, and his whole body jerked to the right. He yelped and dropped my hand. His body relaxed and he glared at me.

"That was cool, but don't do it again." He said. "What else can you do?" he asked me. I shrugged.

"I've never tried to test my limits before. Never really wanted to either." I replied, and he stared at me, shocked.

"Why not? You can pick things up with your _mind._ Why wouldn't you want to experiment?" I laughed at his expression, one of total bewilderment.

"I don't use it often. Never really had a reason to. Do you want another demonstration? I would like some questions answered before I do anything else." I said, more to everyone than just Hellboy.

"It might be best if you became familiar with your abilities. It would do no good if they failed in the field." Johann said. I nodded. It wouldn't do well if I got one of my teammates killed by accident in the middle of a battle. "Maybe you should demonstrate more, and then we will answer any questions you may have." He added.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"We could start by seeing how much you can lift." Hellboy grunted, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. Liz moved away from him and waved away the smoke.

"I know I can lift a steel tractor trailer and throw it pretty far. And anything smaller." I added as an afterthought. Abe looked shocked.

"You can really pick up a trailer and throw it?" he asked, and I nodded. "Interesting. I've read about other telekinetics, but none who could throw something as heavy. But why did you have to throw it?"

"Well," I started. Blushing, I rubbed the back of my neck. "I went to a party with a friend, and someone had spiked the punch. I drank too much and wandered into a field on my way home. The farmer was a, shall we say, complete prick. He started threating me, and then he went to go get his shot gun. The gun didn't even work though; he just had it for show. When he started chasing me with a rake, I just picked up the closest thing and threw it at him. I'm happy to say that he didn't die."

Hellboy chuckled. "You were drunk, but you still managed to throw a trailer at some guy. You have managed to impress me." He acted like it was a big deal, but I didn't see why.

"Well, I don't wake up every morning to impress you, so the praise doesn't mean much to me." I snapped. He held up his hands in the universal sign of "Don't flip your shit on me." "Look, if you want your demonstration, just tell me what to do and I'll do it." Just as I finished speaking, Abe went over to a pile of books and hefted them into his arms. Setting them on a nearby table he pointed and said,

"Lift those." I extended my hand to the books and narrowed my eyes. I actually didn't need to do either of those things, but it helped me focus and tell me where to move things. The pile of books lifted a few feet off the table.

"Higher?" I asked, and Abe nodded. I raised them higher, above even Hellboy's head, and then moved them over to a shelf and started putting them away. After they were all placed on the shelf, I turned back to everyone. "That is about a tenth of what I can do. But considering the fact that you don't have any large inanimate objects in this room at the moment, and I still want my questions answered, I can't and won't, continue the demonstration." Abe nodded at me.

"Well then, ask away. We'll be happy to answer your questions."

"Okay, first," I said, "Who was that one guy from yesterday, the one who tried to take me hostage? And second," I paused, gaze flicking around the room. "I want to know if I can visit him, at least once. Lastly, I want to know when I start training."

Abe shifted uncomfortably. "Well," he paused. "His name is Prince Nuada. He is actually supposed to be dead; we saw him die. But I guess…" he trailed off. "He didn't. I don't know about the visiting part. But training starts tomorrow. "

I shook my head and held up a hand. "No, I know his name. But _who _is he? Besides looking funny and having the word Prince in front of his name, what makes him special, out of the ordinary? Every person brought into this building is either a dangerous villain hell-bent on world domination or bringing about the Apocalypse, or a good guy with extraordinary abilities who somehow always manages to stop the bad guy. So tell me. Which is it? Villain or Good guy?"

Abe sighed. I looked into his mind for a moment, and saw that he had hoped I would be tricked by his first answer. "He was a bad guy. We hope not anymore, because it isn't like we can keep him locked up forever. He is a living being with a free will."

"So, a bad guy you're trying to get go good, and if that doesn't work, you don't want to lock him up because he wants freedom? But you have no other choice? That doesn't sound like it will work out for either of you."

Abe nodded. "Perhaps you can visit him. I'll try to make arrangements. But maybe it would be best if you retired to your room to rest. We will begin your teaching tomorrow. Training will involve much more than exercise and fighting lessons."

I was surprised when Nuala appeared behind Abe.

"My brother is a confused individual. He has…" she paused, looking for the right word. "Issues. He has been misguided. A few years ago, he tried to awaken the Golden Army. He succeeded, but I stopped him by stabbing myself, thus also causing harm to him. And then the crown used to control the Army was destroyed. So he is, in your terms, a villain hell-bent on world domination."

I nodded and chewed on my lip. "Well, it has been great to see you, but I think I'm going to take Abe's advice and retire to my room. Thank you for the explanation, Nuala. I hope you make your peace with him and it works out, I really do." And then I turned and walked up the steps to the door. Before I slipped out, I reached out to Abe's mind.

_My advice may be unwanted, but I'm going to give it anyways. Sometimes the hardest choice is the best one. I know the connection he and Nuala share, and how it would hurt her brother so to be locked up. But would you risk letting him out and perhaps loosing Nuala again? But another piece of advice I've found helpful is to listen with your heart. Do what your heart tells you; the brain isn't always right. _

Then I slipped out the door and into the now empty halls. In fact, the whole building seemed to have all but ceased in activity. It was now quiet, and few people moved through the halls. I found someone willing to guide me back to my room, and once there, collapsed on my bed. I lay there for what seemed like eternities. Finally, I decided that what I really needed was music. I got my iPod and the portable speakers and set them up on my desk. I set the playlist to shuffle and then sat still, content to listen.

_Shake me down,_

_Not a lot of people left around,_

_Who knows now,_

_Softly laying on the ground, ooooh_

_Not a lot people left around, ooooh. ooooh_

_In my life, I have seen,_

_People walk into the sea,_

_Just to find memories,_

_Plagued by constant misery,_

_Their eyes cast down,_

_Fixed upon the ground,_

_Their eyes cast down_

_I'll keep my eyes fixed on the sun_

_Shake me down,_

_Cut my hair on a silver cloud,_

_Broken sound,_

_Softly laying on the ground, ooooh_

_Not a lot people left around, ooooh, ooooh_

I sighed appreciatively as the soothing sound washed over me. Leaning back on my pillows and lacing my hands behind my head, I breathed deep, and then let myself fall into sleep, like falling backwards into the ocean.

000

Nuada's Pov

I hated this cell. I hated the people who put me in it. But most of all, I hated myself. I hated myself for somehow being brought back; hated myself for simply existing. I had failed, and being brought back was like an insult; final revenge. Rubbing the humiliation in my face. It had been a day and a half being in this cell, but it felt like lifetimes. I paced my tiny accommodations endlessly, frustrated and confused. My sister had visited me, and that infernal fish-man she was so infatuated with. Growling, I sunk onto my cot. I needed fresh air; I needed freedom. I lay back onto the cot and closed my eyes. Lacing my fingers behind my head, I tried to sense where my sister was. If I concentrated hard enough, I could even see through her eyes. A vision flashed in my mind. The girl from the day before appeared in front of me. She was talking, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. Then, she tilted her head in the direction of my sister, turned, and left the room, pausing slightly at the top of the steps.

I opened my eyes. The vision showed no useful information. I wished I had something to listen to. This stupid cell was too quiet; the only sound was my own breathing. I lay back on the cot, humming to myself, and tried to fall asleep. Eventually, I managed it somehow, and I dived into a shallow slumber.

000

**Ok, the song part actually wasn't planned, but hey. I liked it. The song, BTW, is Shake me down by Cage The Elephant. Don't forget to review! Oh, and if you've noticed, I took down one of my stories. Echo. It wasn't going anywhere, and I had already lost my inspiration. Oh well. **** sorry if I get anything wrong, I haven't seen the movie in ages. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! Well, my earlobe hurts real bad cause I had to re pierce it. It bled a tittle too, I think. Well, anyways, I hope you like this chappy! It's got a bit more Nuada in it. DISCLAIMER! I own nothing but the character Ariadne.**

000

The alarm on my phone suddenly started beeping, a loud screeching beep that would wake the heaviest sleeper up. I bolted awake, sitting right up. That stupid alarm never failed to scare me. I looked at my digital clock and saw that it was 5:15. Cursing, I rubbed my head and face. My stereo was still blasting music, and I wondered how I had even fallen asleep with that racket playing. At the moment, it was playing Green Day's Wake me up when September ends. For a few seconds, I wondered why that stupid alarm was waking me up so early. Then I remembered I had training to get to. It was my very first day.

Scrambling out of bed, I accidently kicked my dresser. I hissed and held still for a moment. Then shrugging off the pain, I started yanking off my dirty clothes. I might not be a girly person, but clean clothes matter to me. I dressed hurriedly and when my hair was in a messy bun and my make-up was on, I yanked open my door and ran into the hall. After observing the few people in the hall, I found a person who looked approachable and asked him if he would escort me to the library. I could only imagine how I looked to him. With my gloved hands clasped politely behind my back and an award winning smile, I would almost be considered well put together and cleanly done up. But my messy brown hair streaked with green and blue and the fact that I had only put one earring in ruined the effect.

He nodded and showed me the way, but I could tell he was put off by my looks. I smiled at him when we arrived at the door and pushed my way inside. I could see Johann standing in front of the center table, back turned to me. "Ah, hello Ariadne. Good to see you're on time." I jumped and muffled a squeak when Abe's voice echoed throughout the room. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. I looked over to my right and saw Abe climbing out of his tank. Johann turned around.

"Hello." He said. He held out his hand and I took it. "Today you will be familiarizing yourself on the types of creatures we usually fight or study. It may take a while, but I'm sure you'll get it." He told me. I sighed as I observed the stack of books on the table that had previously been hidden by his body.

"How long will getting through that stack take?" I asked. Abe came up from behind me.

"Shouldn't take too long. But there are many species, and you will have to get to know them."

Abe walked past me and picked one of the books up; a dusty brown one with an odd symbol on the cover. "First, we start with the _Gigas Arachnid,_ or giant spider." I sighed and sat on the steps. This would take a while.

000

I wandered back to my room, head spinning with phoenixes and half wolf half deer carnivores with names I couldn't pronounce. It was only twelve in the afternoon, and I had weapons training with Hellboy. But first, I wanted to take a break. I pushed my door open and headed straight for my bed. I collapsed on it and groaned into my pillow.

"Never before have I heard such a sigh of long suffering." A voice said from behind me. I already knew it was John; I had felt his mind as he entered my room.

"Try spending the whole morning learning about mythical beasts. I have the word kathleoscopic stuck in my head and I don't even know what it is! I feel like shooting myself in the head." I groaned. Rolling over I looked at him. "Did you have to do this?" I asked.

"No, I was only a handler. You're part of the team now and they want you to know everything they do."

"Well you're a lucky—" I was cut off abruptly as Hellboy appeared in my doorway. He flicked his wrist over his shoulder, motioning for me to get out of the room.

"Did ya forget you had weapons training with me?" he asked, crossing his arms. I shook my head and pushed myself off the bed. John waved goodbye to me and pushed past Hellboy. "See ya Boy Scout," Hellboy muttered. I stood in front of Hellboy and motioned him out of my room. He pushed himself away from the doorframe and started walking down one of the halls.

I memorized every corridor I walked down, observing everything about the new place I was in. we walked into the main lobby where a team of Suits was trying to restrain a brutish apelike monster with red hair and feathery wings. I jumped back when one of its long arms almost knocked me over.

"What is that thing?" I asked Hellboy. He shrugged.

"Some kind of troll, I guess. Don't worry about it. It's Friday."

I dodged a man carrying an iguana under each arm and continued following Hellboy down the hall. "This is a really weird place. Every mythical monster I read about as a kid turns out to be real, and I will probably have to fight them." I said.

"Probably. But you get used to it." Hellboy replied. We stopped at a shiny steel door with the word "Weapons Training" in bold black print stenciled on the front. Hellboy grabbed the handle and heaved it open, then pushed me inside. The room was a large circular room, covered in racks of weapons. There were punching bags in one corner, a set of weights in another, and a door next to the bench pressing set led to what I assumed was a firing range.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked once Hellboy was standing next to me.

"How about we see if you can shoot a gun. Then, we can test your limits on your powers." He said, and started walking to the door to the firing range.

"I don't shoot guns," I said as I followed behind him. He stopped abruptly and I crashed into his back.

"Why not?" he asked, turning to face me.

"Because," I said slowly. "I don't really think they're necessary. Not for me any way." He shrugged and then continued on his way.

"We'll see if you can shoot a gun any way," he called over his shoulder.

000

I flinched again as the loud noise ricocheted off the walls and bounced back to me and Hellboy. My arm jerked back, but I had expected the recoil this time. Eyeing the gun, I set the shiny pistol on the small table in front of me.

"Is this really necessary?" I asked. Hellboy gave me a look that said of-course-it's-necessary-are-you-crazy?

I glared at him. "I almost punched myself in the eye!" at his small smile of amusement, I added, "Twice and it was _not_ funny."

"Just be glad I didn't start you off with my Samaritan," he replied.

"You mean that monstrosity you call a pistol? That thing is like a handheld cannon!"

"At least I can shoot it without hitting myself in the face," Hellboy said with a smile. Grumbling, I turned to the gun and picked it up. I steadied my arm and sighted down the barrel. I pulled the trigger and my arm jerked up slightly, but it did not send the bullet off course. The bullet sped toward the target with all malicious intent behind it, and punched through the middle of the target's head.

"There, I shot it in the head. And I didn't hit myself the last time, I _almost_ hit myself. Almost." I set the gun back on the table. He nodded and motioned me to the door. I pulled the headphones and safety glasses off, throwing them on the table, and then walked out into the main room. To my surprise, Abe was there, and when Hellboy saw him, he immediately left me to go speak with him. I stood behind them, looking on awkwardly. I knew I should be offended, being left behind and forgotten so easily, but I was used to it. It happened to me all the time, and I was-

I shook my head and bit my tongue, squeezing my eyes shut. I absolutely could not think of things like that. So instead of dwelling on thoughts, I amused myself by lifting nearby objects and moving them around. At the moment, I had three two hundred pound weights circling each other and flipping around while I looked on with my hands clasped in front of me and a small smile. I had been completely ignoring everything else round be; I was concentrating so hard on moving around the weights, that when I heard a small cough, my attention broke and I looked to Abe. The weights clattered to the floor with a loud crash and I flinched away, covering my head.

I dropped my arms and coughed into my hand.

"Yes?" I asked quietly.

Hellboy looked amused, but I ignored him and looked at Abe. "I'm here to remind you that you only have half an hour before you're supposed to meet with Liz and Nuala."

"I was shooting that gun for half an hour?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well," Hellboy started. "It took you fifteen minutes to figure out how to put the magazine in the gun, five to figure out how to hoot it without hitting yourself, and ten to actually get you to hit the target."

I glared at him and said, "Maybe if I had a better teacher, it wouldn't have taken me so long to get."

Hellboy chuckled. "Probably," he said with a laugh. I gave him a small smile, but it was quickly replaced with a scowl when Abe left and Hellboy led me over to the punching bag. We sat there for a few minutes while he taught me how to wrap my hands and wrists, then he motioned to the tan leather bag that was almost as big as I was.

"Have at it," he said. I stood in front of the bag, unsure what to do.

"Do I just punch it?" I asked. Hellboy nodded and flicked his fingers at it again, moving backwards to lean on the wall. I took a deep breath and raised my fists. I shot out mu right fist and it collided with the leather bag. A spike of pain lanced through my wrist and I pulled it away, shaking my hand. I hadn't even moved the bag a little, and it felt like my wrist was broken.

"Dammit!" I hissed, clamping my left hand around my wrist.

"You bent your wrist," Hellboy called from his spot.

"What?" I asked, frowning in confusion. He pushed off the wall with his foot and walked towards me. He grabbed my hand in his left one and straightened my wrist.

"If you punch something with your wrist bent, then there is a high chance it will break. If it doesn't break well," Hellboy let go of my arm and stepped back and shrugged. "Good for you. But it'll hurt like hell."

I nodded and rubbed my sore arm. "Thanks Hellboy," I said softly. I stepped back to the bag and drew my arm back to punch as he said,

"Call me Red."

I smiled as my fist once again impacted with the punching bag. A jolt ran up my arm, but not in a painful way. The bag lurched back a little and I smiled triumphantly.

"Ha," I said grinning. "Look at that. I moved it." it felt good to gloat about something, even if it was for a stupid reason like punching something. I spent the rest of my time there punching the bag harder and harder, until my arm felt like Jell-O and I couldn't open and close my fist.

000

"So Liz," I said, sitting back and sipping my tea. "I feel bad about not asking how you are, so how are you? You usually look so," I paused and waved my free hand around. "Uncomfortable." We were sitting in the Library, drinking tea and laughing over girl things. When I showed up for the lesson, Liz had handed me a cup of lemon tea and showed me a seat. She already felt like a good friend. Nuala had offered me a smile and a slight nod of the head, and then continued reading her book.

Liz laughed. "Well I'm fine, but carrying twins isn't easy. They're always kicking and pushing and moving around. But, I only have about a month left, so it'll be over soon."

"Who's are they?" I asked. "I hope that isn't an invasive question, I just wanted to know." I added quickly. She batted a hand at me and smoothed a hand over her large stomach.

"It's fine. They're Red's kids."

I nodded and took a sip of my tea. "If Red's hard to handle now, think about his kids. With the stubborn streak in both of you, I bet they'll be a handful."

Liz grinned. "Tell me about it," she laughed. I leaned forward and set my cup on the edge of the table in front of me.

"So I keep wondering what our lesson is going to be about," I said, sitting back again.

"We're going to be teaching you how to control my powers. I know your telekinesis doesn't need work, but you r telepathy does, and we are going to try to teach you how to rein it in." Liz motioned back to Nuala, who was in the background, pacing back and forth reading a blue book.

"How do you suggest we do that?" I asked nervously. I twisted my hands around, making the gloved wrap around them.

"Well, and it's okay if you don't want to do this, but what we thought," Liz paused and took a breath, gaze flicking around. "We thought that one of us could touch your skin and you would just keep your thoughts focused on one particular thing, nothing else."

I drew back slightly, and then forced myself to stop. They were just trying to help, nothing more, nothing less. "Are you sure?" I asked shakily. Liz reached over the table and paced a hand on my shoulder, I forced myself to stay still and not move away.

"If you don't want to, it's okay. You don't need to," she told me with a comforting tone of voice. I shook my head and took a breath.

"No, it's fine. But it might be best if Nuala did it, because some of her memories would be similar to Nuada's, and I haven't had time to get all of them out of my system. If some memories are similar, then it shouldn't affect me too much." I stood up from the couch I had been sitting on, and walked away from it. Liz struggled to stand, but waved me off when I tried to help.

Nuala looked up and over to us when she heard her name. She walked over to us, seeming to float on the beautiful golden and blue dress she wore. "Do you need me?" she asked in her delicate sounding voice.

"Yes," Liz said, and then explained the situation.

"Are you sure?" Nuala asked, shocked I nodded. I looked down to my hands and started pulling my left glove off, paused, worked it back on, and stripped my right arm of its protection.

"Just grab my arm," I said, working my sleeve up and exposing my pale flesh. She reached out and tentatively touched her fingertips to my arm. I felt a flicker. "Grab it," I ordered, voice shaking. She looked up at me, and then back down to my arm. She took a breath then wrapped her slender fingers around my bare forearm. I gasped and my eyes widened as the flood of memories swamped my own, to quickly for me to focus on a single one longer than a few seconds. I felt a moan rising up from inside my throat and grit my teeth to keep it from coming out.

I staggered to the left and bumped into the arm of the couch and dropped to my knees. Nuala let go of my arm, but the rush of memories continued. I peeped when a jagged spike of pain ripped across my face. I buried my face in my hands, and started mumbling an incoherent string of words. When the thoughts trickled off and finally ended, I let out a deep breath and leaned back on the arm of the couch, arm occasionally twitching. My eyes were closed and I kept seeing the dying flickers of memories not my own.

I felt someone kneel next to me and place a hand on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked at a blurry image of Nuala. "What?" I mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Nuala asked gently. I nodded and leaned forward, putting my head between my knees. I swallowed, disliking the taste in my mouth.

"You started speaking elvish," Nuala said in her soft way.

"Really?" I croaked, trying to smile. "What'd I say?"

"You said, 'If I know of this, as does he and none of you are safe. If you value your life, then you will free me and forget this has ever come to pass'."

I hummed and pushed myself up and away from the couch. I stumble toward the door, bracing myself on the wall. "I need to go," I whispered. "Thanks for the lesson."

000

I sat up in my bed, ramrod straight and held back a scream. The nightmares had started. After the lesson, I had made my way back to my room and changed into my pajamas, then collapsed heavily into y bed. I didn't know how long I had slept, but it was dark out and it was quiet outside my door. I grabbed one of my pillows and buried my face into it. I silent sob wracked my shoulders and tears leaked down onto my pillow. _What did I get myself into? _


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello readers! How did you like my last chappy? I hope you did. ****Oh, im gonna put a Thor reference in this chap, see if you can find it! **

**DISCLAIMER! I own only Ariadne, nothing else. **

000

If being woken up and the middle of the night by a loud, obnoxious klaxon sounds like your idea of fun, trust me, you would love living at the BPRD. Apparently, this crap happens all the time, so I better learn to get used to it. I hurriedly got dressed, not bothering to put my shoes on before I dashed out of my room. I ran down the halls, boots tucked under my arm, bare feet slapping on the ground. I stopped before the wooden door, surprised I actually found my way without having to be helped. I pushed the door open and found Hellboy and Abe standing in the middle of the room, bent over a book. I sat down on the steps and started lacing up my boots.

"What's the issue?" I asked. They both lifted their heads at the same time, and their foreheads crashed together. Rubbing his head and grumbling, Abe looked at me.

"A monster is attacking Times Square. We're using the description to find it in this book. Look for weaknesses and things."

"What does it look like?" I asked. I had been living and learning with the team for about a week and a half, and I had memorized the books, cover to cover. Not much else you can do when you're being woken up every night and can't go back to sleep.

"Green and brown, lots of tentacles and one really big eye in the middle of its face," Red told me. I thought for a moment.

"It sounds like a Midgardian swamp dragon," I said after a moment. "The one eye really gives it away. You can find it on page 935 in the 'Book of Haldron, Volume One.'" I pointed to a thick brown book I could see on the edge of one of the tables. Abe hurried over and picked it up, quickly leafing through the pages until he found the right one. I stayed seated on the steps, hugging my knees to my chest and watching curiously. This would be the first time I got to see he team in action, and also the first time I would be fighting with them.

"What would a swamp dragon be doing in New York?" Red asked. The doors behind me crashed open and Liz, Nuala, Johann and Manning filed into the library. The foursome walked past me, careful not to bump me, but making it clear that I was in the way. I stood up and walked over the edge of the table where Abe was.

"What swamp dragon?" Liz asked, going to stand next to Abe and look at the picture in the book.

"We're trying to figure out what a swamp dragon would be doing in New York, and how it got there," Red supplied. We were quiet for a minute while we thought, then an idea came to me.

"Sewers are kind of like swamps right?" I asked. "They're dark and damp, with lots of water. It sounds like the perfect spot for a swamp dragon."

Red snapped his fingers and looked at me. "Perfect. But that also means that there could be more of those things anywhere in the city."

"Well, they lay eggs in deep pools of water, so you only have to check pool that are fifteen feet or deeper. And to kill off the eggs, just pour some sea salt mixed with hemlock in the water," I replied.

"How do you know this stuff? Abe still has to look through the books," Liz said, raising an eyebrow at me. Abe sniffed indignantly.

"I'm a fast learner," I replied, looking away from her.

"Well," Manning said, clapping his hands. "You all have a job, so I suggest you all go do it."

000

The truck hit a massive bump and I shot up in my seat, head hitting the roof. I sunk down deep into my seat, rubbing my head and glaring at Red, who was trying not to laugh.

"Are we almost there?" I asked, looking over to Abe, who was putting on his breathing helmet.

"Yes, we're…" He was interrupted by a screech like bending metal. We all looked up at the roof, and I stood up and flung open the window. The team crowded around me as we stared up at the massive snakelike beast that was coiled up in the middle of Times Square. It was a dark green mottled brown, and at the end of its massive snout was a bulbous eye that blinked every few seconds. A crown of green tentacles surrounded its head, and they thrashed about as if they had minds of their own. Two small front legs were crossed in front of the beast as it whipped its head around, roaring. Thick tentacles surrounded its large clawed paws, snaking across the ground. Rubble lay around the beast, evidence of destroyed buildings. People stood in a wide perimeter, screaming or banging on car windows, trying to get loved ones out.

"Damn," I whispered. "That's big."

The truck lurched to a stop, and we all stumbled back, trying to keep our balance. The back of the truck opened up and we all looked to see my step dad waving us out. "Hurry!" he shouted as we ran out. "We need to stop that thing." Hellboy pulled out a crate from the truck and pulled a huge six shot pistol out. He shoved it six buck shots and put a handful in his coat pocket. Then he turned to the monster and raised his arms up.

"C'mon ugly!" he shouted and started walking towards it.

"You mean _we_ need to stop it," I said, looking at my dad. "You're going to just stand here and look good and take all the credit." I pulled my pistol out and checked it over, pulling the mag out, then shoving it back in. Over the past week, I had been quickly improving. I could now shoot with one hand and still hit my target. I smirked at him and followed Red who was running over to the Swamp dragon, yelling and cursing and waving Big Baby in the air.

"You know how to stop this?" Red asked me, as he let another round off into the monster. I raised my pistol and took a few shots.

"I know it has a weak spot on its stomach," I called over the noise of gunfire, roaring and screaming people. "I just have to get it to stand up!" one of my shots bounced off of its nose, close to its eye. It growled and lowered its head. Abe and Johann ran up next to me, each carrying a book, and Abe carrying a gun in his free hand.

Abe raised his gun and fired a shot; the bullet was glowing green and yellow, trailing a stream of goo. It hit the monster's nose and splattered goo over tis eye. It reared its head and screeched a horrible grating sound that made me want to claw at my ears. It stood up on its stubby front legs and lashed its head, tentacles thrashing. The roaring seemed to panic the people more, and the screaming intensified.

"Ari," Johann shouted, drawing my attention.

"What?" I yelled back.

"Go help people. You won't startle them as much as we would. You'll blend in!"

I paused, torn between yelping my friends of helping the people. Then I shoved my gun into its holster and turned to run. I sprinted to the closest person. A woman was banging frantically on a car window, screaming, and I could hear screaming on the other side of the door. I reached her and grabbed her arm, trying to calm her.

"Ma'am," I said, shaking her softly.

"My children!" she sobbed. "Get them out."

I took a breath and punched the window. The glass cracked, but didn't break. I gasped and shook out my fist. "Holy mother of fu…" I stopped and coughed. I pushed the woman away and pulled out my pistol. "Please step back," I instructed. I flipped the pistol so I was holding the barrel, then brought it down on the glass. A large crack appeared on the glass, and I hit it again, this time shattering it. I looked through the window to see a small girl and an older boy about seven. i could hear shouts and curses from my friends s they battled the massive serpent behind me, and i flinched as i heard a loud crunch behind me, and an anguished cry. I forced myself not to look and focused my attention on the children.

"Hey, kid hand me your sister," I said, my voice shaking slightly. He stared at me, and I looked at the gun I my hand. "Oh, oops. Sorry kid." I holstered it and reached through the window to pick up the girl. I pulled her out of the car and handed her to her frantic mother. I helped the boy out, and instructed then to run to the perimeter, and keep going.

I kept running around and breaking windows to get people out, of help them out from under the rubble. Once, a piece of cement was too heavy for me to pick up, so I used my powers to fling it away. I reached down to help the man up, and he grabbed my hand. I heaved him up just as a green tentacle crashed next to us. I stumbled and the man covered me with his arm.

"Thanks," I gasped.

"Don't mention it," he grunted. I nodded, and then pushed him to the perimeter the police had set up. The policeman there grabbed my arm and started directing me over to one of the police cars.

"Hey," I shouted, thrashing my arm. "Let go of me!"

"Girl, you've done enough helping people. We need to get you safe, and we need to know where you got that gun."

I kicked the guy in the kneecap and he crashed to the ground. Another cop grabbed my arms before I could get up and run.

"Red!" I screamed. "Help!" I kicked my legs, not caring if I made a scene or not. "Red!" I shouted once more.

"Hey," a gruff baritone shouted from behind me. The cop dropped my arms and I huffed angrily. I turned to find Hellboy giving the cop a death glare. "She's helping; let her go." I turned back to the cop, punched him hard in the face, and then ran back to Red, pulling my pistol out on the way.

"Thank you," I told him as we ran back to the monster. "Where are Abe and Johann?" I asked when I noticed that we were alone with the monster.

"Abe got hit and Johann got crushed. He's getting a new containment suit as we speak, but that might take a while. For no, it's just us."

"Great," I muttered. "Two against a big snake with legs and one eye." I raised my gun and pulled the trigger a few times, scowling as the bullets bounced off and landed on the ground. The beast shook its head, and one of its tentacles started falling down toward us.

"Ah crap," Red sighed. My eyes widened, and I shoved him hard to the side. I leapt away, but the tentacle clipped my leg. Hissing, I scrambled up and wrapped my arms around the tentacle. The monster pulled it back up to its face and looked at me with its one big eye. It growled a deep rumbling sound, and lifted me to its mouth.

"Not today," I said, looking to the ground. I had seen a broken pipe lying on the ground near I had been, and I picked it up and brought it to my hand. The pipe hit my hand with a smack, and I hefted it back. I hurled it forward like a javelin and used my telekinesis to push it forward faster. The sharp end of the pipe hit the back of its throat and pushed all the way through to the other side. For a moment, everything was silent. Then, the fearful screams of the civilians and the dying roars of the dragon rushed back to me in full force. The Dragon's single eye widened, staring at me in shock as the gaping, bleeding hole in it's throat quickly drained the monster of its precious life blood, and the monster began to fall, taking me with it.

I screamed as I plummeted to the asphalt, knowing that when I hit I would die. But still, I put my hands out as if it would slow my decent. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the end. I jerked to a sudden stop and the breath whooshed out of me. I cracked open an eyelid to see Red setting me on the ground gently.

"Thanks," I said shakily, running a gloved hand through my hair. "Again."

"Well, I might be able to survive a fall like that, but you can't so you're welcome."

Now that the monster was dead and no longer roaring, I could hear the sounds of the crowd, shouting and yelling. A could hear a few shouts of 'Freaks' and 'That thing wasn't the only monster'. Red placed a hand on my shoulder and started leading me to the truck.

"Come on kid, you don't need this," he told me. I pushed his hand off my shoulder and turned to the crowd. I stared out at them, anger boiling in the pit of my stomach. Gritting my teeth, I turned and climbed up a pile of broken asphalt and concrete. Now, standing above them all, they quieted. I took a deep breath, and then I bowed at the waist, crossing an arm over my stomach and throwing my other one into the air.

"You're welcome," I called out. "You know if it weren't for us, you would probably all be dead, and this is the thanks we get? I would be ashamed to call myself human if this is what I did when someone helped me." I never once looked away from the crowd, and when I was done, I jumped off the pile of rubble and landed with a thud next to Hellboy. As I walked away, I kept my head high and my back straight. I didn't notice the malicious stare one of the women in the crowd was giving me.

000

"Quite the performance," was my greeting when I sat down on the truck. I looked at Liz, unsure if that was meant as a compliment.

"I wanted them to know what us; why we do what we do. I hope I got the message out to them."

"Bet you did," Hellboy said as he sat next to me. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes as the truck started up.

"Good," I muttered.

000

**REVIEW! Seriously, don't do that I'm-gonna-favorite-but-I'm-not-gonna-review. You know who you are! **


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER! I own only my OC Ariadne, nothing else.

000

I tossed the ball over to John, sighing when it went high and sailed over his head. After we got back from the mission, my dad had rounded on me and started telling me how much of a mistake I had just made, and what would it make us look like? The public would just hate us more, he had said. So, I had been 'grounded' as Red put it. I wasn't to leave my room unless it was to get food. After laying on my bed for about an hour, I had heard a knock on my door. It was John, carrying a bag full of food and a red rubber ball. We had been spending time together in between my lessons, and he was already a good friend.

For a while, we had fun, listening to music, eating sweets and tossing the ball around from opposite edges of the bed, but after a while it grew old. I was jerked out of my stupor when the ball hit me in between the eyes. I yelped and ducked my head, hiding the red mark I was sure was spreading on my forehead.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" John asked frantically, hurrying over to my side. I hid the grin on my face with my hand. It hadn't hurt, but he didn't have to know. I grabbed a pillow from behind me and smacked him in the face.

"I'm fine you goofball, but you still deserve that," I laughed. He fell backwards on my bed, clutching his chest.

"Aaaaand I'm dead," he said, drawing the 'a' out for a few seconds. He lifted his head up from his position and looked at me. "You look like you have a target on your forehead," he said, trying to bite back a smile. I tried my best to look offended. Then, I grabbed a pillow and smacked his chest. He rolled over, then pushed himself up and tackled me. I laughed and wormed out of his grasp. I shoved him hard and he fell off the edge of the bed. I sat on the opposite edge of the bed and watched as his hand shot straight up, fingers shaped like claws.

"It that your best zombie impression?" I laughed. I squealed when he shot up off the floor and pinned me underneath him. I stared up at him with wide eyes. There was only a few inches of space between us, and he slowly started closing the gap.

"Don't," I breathed when there was only an inch left. I swallowed thickly and closed my eyes, pushing him off me. "You can't touch my skin, remember?" I said softly.

"That's stupid," John said just as soft. I nodded.

"I know, but I can't do anything about it."

John was about to reply when my door opened and Abe stepped through. We both looked over to him, mine slightly less murderous than John's. We were having a moment

"What is it?" I asked, annoyed.

"Do you remember that person you asked if you could meet?" Abe asked, sounding uncomfortable.

"Yes," I said slowly. "Why?"

Abe fidgeted and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Well, I've managed to arrange a meeting."

"Great, when is it?"

"Now."

I stared at him. Then, rolling my eyes, I pushed off the edge of my bed and walked over to Abe. "Fine," I sighed, opening my door and gently pushing Abe through it. I turned to John and asked, "'Are you coming?" he leapt off my bed and hurried to my side. I closed my door and turned to Abe. "Let's go."

Abe turned and started down the hall, and John and I followed. We weaved through the maze of halls that I had somehow memorized, and I recognized the path we were taking to go to the medical wing. "Why are we going to the Med wing?" I asked, but received no answer. I rolled my eyes, but continued following. We stopped at a dull gray door that said 'Unstable Medical Patients' in bold black letters at the top.

"Have many unstable patients?" I asked lightly, going for a joking tone of voice. Abe shot me a look, and then pushed open the door. For a moment, his body obscured the view, but then he moved and I could see inside. Nuala was inside reading a book, along with Liz and Hellboy. Liz had her hands on her rounded stomach with a pained look on her face and Red was behind her with his hand on the small of her back. There was a long panel of glass separating the room, but I couldn't see through it. A door was set on the far side of the wall, next to Red and Liz. There was a small panel next to it with a few buttons and switches.

When I walked into the room, Nuala looked up from her book and stared at me. I fidgeted uncomfortably under her intense, but not threatening gaze. John walked in behind me and I moved over to give him room in the small space.

"So why am I here?" I asked, looking at everyone in the room. Abe motioned to the panel of glass separating the room into two halves.

"I have managed to get you an appointment with Nuada. He has also agreed to see you," he said.

"So how am I supposed to talk to him?" I asked.

"I can turn the glass into a two way mirror and turn on an intercom," Abe told me, but I shook my head. I wanted the conversation to remain private.

"Is there another way?" I asked.

"It isn't like you can go into his cell," Red grunted. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Are you kidding?" Liz laughed incredulously. I blinked once and she sobered up. "Oh my god, you weren't joking."

"Well, it isn't like he can hurt me right? Besides, if he attacks, I think I can take him," I said with a slight smile.

"No," Red started slowly. "If Kroenen was still alive, this guy could take him, easy."

I sighed and kept myself from banging my head on the wall. "Just let me go in; I promise I'll be safe. He won't even touch me."

Red sighed, and then motioned me towards the door.

"Whoa, we aren't actually letting her do this, are we?" Liz asked, frowning.

"Honey, she can take care of herself," Red said, then flipped a switch on the panel next to the door. There was a hiss and click and the door slid open.

"Leave the intercom off," I said to Abe softly, then I took a slow step forward, and the door closed behind me. The cell was dim, but not dark enough that I couldn't see. However, I could barely see the pale form lying on the cot in the far corner. I could tell he was looking at me.

"Hi," I said softly, putting on my best smile.

"Who are you?" he asked warily, sitting up from the cot. By now, my eyes had adjusted and I could see him clearly. His eyes and lips were darker than his sisters, but it only made him look intense and serious. His hair was longer too, and he was paler.

"Oh, they didn't tell you?" I asked sweetly.

"No," he replied with a guarded tone. "Should they have?"

"Probably," I said, losing the façade and dropping the fake sweetness. "But I'm glad I didn't miss the look on your face." For a while, we just looked at each other. Then, I said, "I don't like what you did."

He cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"You signaled me out as the weakest link. I don't like that. In fact, I hate it because it is so far from the truth."

"Well if you fell writhing to the ground the moment I touched you, it is obviously true," he said. He leaned closer to me as he spoke.

"If you knew what I could do, you would not think so lightly of me," I replied just as softly.

"Why don't you show me?" he stared at me, his intense gaze burning into mine.

"If you knew what I could do…" I trailed off, eyes glazing over with tears. Nothing good ever comes of me telling people what I could do. My thoughts flickered to Allin.

"What?" Nuada prodded eyes hardening.

"Nothing," I whispered quickly. I swallowed back my tears and blinked hard. I leaned back and away from him. I shifted against the wall.

"No, I want to know," he said.

"Well I don't want to tell you," I shot back, crossing my arms and glaring at him. I blushed after a moment, realizing I was acting like a child. I sighed and let my arms fall to my sides. "I'm telepathic," I sighed softly.

"That isn't it," Nuada replied. "There's more."

"I'm telekinetic too," I grumbled.

He nodded. "Impressive," he mused.

I slid down the door and sat on the floor, my eyes mapping the contours of his face. We sat that way for a minute, and then he asked, "What did I do to you?"

"You gave me your memories," I stated bluntly. "Your thoughts and feelings, everything. I can tell you that it isn't fun."

"I would guess not."

"Oh, and another fun feature," I said, pulling my glove off and flexing my hand. "I get nightmares too. Your memories replay in my head like a horror movie. Last night I had a dream someone was dragging a rusty knife across my face." I drew I line from one cheekbone to the other, going across my nose.

"And that was one of my more pleasant memories," Nuada said dryly.

"That sucks for you buddy," I sighed and leaned my head on my hand. I stood up and knocked on the door.

"What's your name?" he asked suddenly as the door slid open.

"Call me Ari," I replied over my shoulder.

"Will I see you again, Ari?" he called. He didn't sound hopeful, only curious.

"Probably," I said, turning to look at him. "But don't hold your breath."

I walked out the room with a slight smile. The door closed and I looked at the people in the room. "Well," I said with a satisfied sigh. "That was fun." I clapped my hands and turned to leave.

"Wait," Red called. I turned to face him.

"Yes?"

"Aren't you going to tell us what happened?" he asked.

"If I wanted you to know, I would have told Abe to leave the intercom on," I said sensibly. Then I turned to leave once again, whistling and twirling my glove in one hand. I walked down the hall, humming one of my favorite songs while I thought.

000

I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. It was around four in the morning, and I hadn't slept at all. I had turned my stereo on sometime around two thirty just so I could listen to the music. I sighed and closed my eyes. I laced my fingers behind my head and tried to listen to the soft music in the background. I deepened my breathing and concentrated on the sound.

_Shadows all around you as you surface from the dark_

_Emerging from the gentle grip of night's unfolding arms_

_Darkness, darkness everywhere, do you feel all alone?_

_The subtle grace of gravity, the heavy weight of stone_

I smiled and my breath deepened. The music filled the room with its soft sound.

_You don't see what you possess, a beauty calm and clear_

_It floods the sky and blurs the darkness like a chandelier_

_All the light that you possess is skewed by lakes and seas_

_The shattered surface, so imperfect, is all that you believe_

Slowly, my eyes seemed to grow heavy and I couldn't open them. Images flickered in my head, the beginning of a dream. I saw the tattered remains of a banner, soaked in blood. I could see bodies lying around me. Bloodied weapons and pieces of dented armor were scattered all around the ground. I could feel the sharp sting of pain throughout my entire body, but I was still standing. Slowly, I turned in a circle, observing the chaos and mayhem that seemed to go out for miles in every direction. My breath hitched as the smell of blood and death filled my nose and I dropped to my knees, gagging. I placed my hands over my mouth and dropped my chin to my chest. My shoulders shook and a tear dripped down my cheek. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up.

I screamed and jolted awake, I sat up in my bed, panting and shivering. I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my head. After a moment, I threw off the sheets and jumped out of bed. I walked over to my door and carefully edged it open. I poked my head out and looked down both hallways. Seeing that it was empty, I flung my door open and walked out into the hall. I had the urge to slam my door shut, but I carefully latched it without making a sound. I stalked down the hall quietly keeping to the shadows, a sour look on my face. I made my way around to the Med wing and slipped down the hall, keeping away from any doors that had light coming out from underneath them.

I reached the room where only hours before I had been talking with one of the most dangerous people on the planet. I grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, wrenching the door open. I walked across the dark room and flipped the light switch on. I then went over to the panel and fiddled around with the buttons until the pane of glass in front of me flickered and became a window. Light from my side spilled into the once previous dark room and illuminated the sleeping form on the cot. Nuada pushed himself up and turned to face me, confusion swimming in his gaze. He certainly had that just-woke-up look down.

"Do you have the slightest idea what time it is?" he growled, standing up and walking to the window. I couldn't hear him because the intercom was off, but I could still read his surface thoughts. I turned to the panel and pressed the button that said Intercom then walked to the window.

"I do. I've been awake the whole night, watching the clock," I crossed my arms and blinked at him. it wasn't completely true, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Well it isn't my fault!" he protested. I raised an eyebrow and blinked again. "It is my fault, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't," I replied calmly.

"What was it?" he asked curiously.

"What was what?"

"The dream," he stated. "What was it?"

"Oh," I said softly, looking down. "I don't know. I can't remember. I can almost recall it, but not quite."

"Why not?"

"I can't keep a memory or thought that isn't mine," I said. "They just float around the back of my mind for a while, and resurface when I'm asleep. After a while they go away."

"Why did you come here?" Nuada asked, placing one hand one the glass.

"Well you're just full of questions today, aren't you?" I grinned, but it was forced. Nuada narrowed his eyes.

"You came to me," he reasoned. "I'm entitled to ask questions."

I shrugged. "Maybe." He stared at me with narrowed eyes until I sighed. "I don't know why I came. I came because I could suppose."

"That's hardly an answer," He scoffed lightly.

"Then I'm going to quote my favorite villain. I believe he said, _"I do what I want"._" I bit back a grin at his expression.

"That reasoning doesn't even work for a child," Nuada said, looking perplexed.

"It worked for a god," I replied, laughing.

"You have gods?" he asked curiously.

"Well no…" I replied awkwardly. "He was sort of a made up character, from a… book."

He frowned. "You humans are odd," he said.

"We get that a lot," I said. "Or really, I do." We stood there for a minute in silence.

"Thanks for listening," I said suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"Thank you for listening to me. I woke you up at quarter to four in the morning and you still took time to talk to me. You could have just ignored me and sat there, but you talked to me." I brushed a strand of hair out of my face. Nuada shrugged noncommittally.

"I'm sure you would've just left the light on and made me suffer." I laughed and rubbed my arms.

"You're probably right. But thanks anyway." I turned off the lights and crept out the door, smiling to myself. When I got to my room and into bed, I had the best sleep of my life.

000

After weeks of staring at this chapter trying to figure out how I wanted it to end, I ended it with a few words. My muse is most cruel sometimes. So anyway, Review!


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